Dedicated to the preservation and sharing of Grafton area history

Thanks to the generosity of the people of Grafton, as well as people outside the village, the Grafton Historical Society has been able to grow its important collection of historical materials.

In December, Brook Brown of Cedarburg attended our monthly meeting. He told us that the Zirtzlaff family was cleaning out the house after Bob Zirtzlaff’s passing. The family found photos, yearbooks, scrapbooks, and athletic programs from the Port, Just, Ahlers, and Zirtzlaff families. Mr. Brown suggested to the family that these historical items could be saved and given to a local historical society. At the end of the meeting, Mr. Brown shared the items and all that attended enjoyed looking through this wonderful collection.

In February, James Dix of Hartford attended our monthly meeting. He shared with us a digital copy of a photograph of the August Ploeger Harness Shop from around 1903. The shop was located on what is now The Hutch Bar. Mr Dix obtained the original photo from his mother, who was the granddaughter of August Ploeger.

We’d like to personally thank Brook Brown, the Zirtzlaff family, and James Dix for donating these family collections to the Grafton Historical Society. We are grateful to everyone who has donated, and we look forward to working with others in our continuing efforts to document the history of the Grafton, WI area.

If you have questions about donating an item or would like to donate, you can attend one of our meetings or by simply contacting us.